opposite conditions to Melbourne, it is competitive and, for the time being at least, victorious.”

Michael Schumacher:
“It was a tough fight all the way to the end, but I was quick enough when I needed to be at the start and end of each stint. The gap to Montoya opened and closed throughout the race and it was pressure all the way. At the start, as I was first I had no reference as to where the water was. In fact Turns 4 and 11 were slippery. Even though it was not sunny it was a tough race. As for the championship, it is easier to lead rather than have to fight back like last year. But we have only done two races and we know how quickly the other teams can progress. I have to say that Bridgestone did a fantastic job here, after we struggled at this track in the past.”

Rubens Barrichello:
“I pushed hard all race long, doing as much as I could. I made a different tyre choice to my team-mate and it did not pay off. On top of that, in the opening laps, when it rained, my tyres quickly lost temperature and that’s why I lost a few places. Unfortunately, the two seconds that kept me away from Button in the fight for the podium were lost when I was overtaking Baumgartner. In any case, I’m satisfied with the car, which confirmed its potential. Of course, I would like to have won, but at least I brought home five points which will be important for the championship.”

Ross Brawn:
“It was a very hard race. Michael had chosen the soft tyres and Rubens the hard. We tried to modify Rubens’ strategy to make up the places he lost in the early stages, but it did not work out as we had hoped. It was a bit frustrating, because he got very close to Button at the end. I think this win, on a track where we have struggled in the past few years, is very important and much of the credit must go to Bridgestone. They did a really exceptional job given that we used to find conditions like today’s difficult to deal with. But we are still keeping our feet on the ground, because McLaren and Williams could always close the gap and we are ready for that. I think Michael has shown he is even stronger than in the past and I don’t know where that comes from.”